


The Desire to See the Storm Smile

by flxmelxnce



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Festivals, Fireworks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, the yukata natabaal content i craved, they're both dumb like always that's it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:46:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25626151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flxmelxnce/pseuds/flxmelxnce
Summary: "Have you ever been to a festival, Baal?" Nezha had asked him.Baal had shook his head no, which prompted a gleeful smile to bloom upon Nezha's features."Then let's go to one, together."
Relationships: Baal/Nezha (Granblue Fantasy)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	The Desire to See the Storm Smile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spymursclause](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spymursclause/gifts).



> hewwos !! this is a gift for my pal chai for her birthday, so happy birthday chai !! :DD i remembered you really wanting natabaal to go to a festival together, and i already had a festival fic in the wips for a while now but i decided to redo everything cause i didn't like how the first one was going so here's the somewhat better, completed version ! i hope you like it~

It was late into the night when Baal had arrived to the front gate of the bustling booths and lanterns, the strumming of instruments and entertainments filling his ears as he descended onto the gravel pavement. The plasma guitar in his hands disappeared into wisps of purple upon his silent command, and Hannibal eagerly scampered back and forth between Baal’s shoulders in an attempt to have a better look at the commotion inside the gated walls.

Perhaps it was strange of Baal to even attend a festival in the first place. Of course he was aware of the yearly activities due to the passionate melodies that would resonate within them, but he never considered ever actually venturing inside one. Maybe it was his small wish to be accompanied by others that prevented him from attending a festival, but he would never admit it out loud.

But he supposed the opportunity finally came to him when Nezha proposed they go to one together. _A date_ , as the wind primal called it. And Baal was internally hoping that this date wouldn’t involve any fighting or killing like most of the previous ones did.

Though even with his composed exterior, the thought of them going on a date still made Baal’s fingertips tingle in a mixture of both nervousness and excitement. They hadn’t been on one in a while, after all— being far too busy with crew missions and their own personal affairs as primal beasts. Not to mention how during the times Nezha would visit Baal on the Grandcypher ship, certain... _events_ would transpire that would leave Baal _a bit_ unable to walk (which, in other words, meant being completely immobilized for no less than a week). But besides those setbacks, Baal supposed he did slightly miss the rare moments when they were together and merely just enjoying each other’s company. Nezha’s presence was always warm, but for some reason it felt stronger when the two of them were alone together. It was soft, almost gentle— like the mellow lapping of flames against his skin, a warmth that Baal was comforted by.

He quietly smiled to himself, and in response Hannibal gave his own purr at his owner’s serene expression.

However, not a moment after did the earth primal feel a thrumming resonance approaching him at thundering speeds, and Baal looked up to watch as a familiar flicker of green and red soared across the skies and made its way closer and closer to his form. The earth primal scowled at the bright display, silently hoping that Nezha didn't garner any attention from the passerby or worse, some stray skyfarers who had their eyes set on the bounty on Nezha's head. Maybe Baal would get lucky and the only humans who would see his companion's figure would think he's a stray unidentified comet— and he scoffed in amusement at the thought.

But much to Baal's silent relief, Nezha landed safely by his side, his flaming chariots dissipating as his shoes touched the asphalt. And when he did, the earth primal took the chance to look at his companion up and down, quietly admiring his choice of clothing. He donned a loose-fitting blue yukata with golden trimmings at the end of the garment, paired along with soft lotus patterns decorating the side. The purple obi sash at his waist was fitted with numerous metal accessories, and wrapped carelessly around his neck was his signature tattered scarf, completed with his twin headpieces that the wind primal seemed to almost never take off.

Baal looked at his own garments; a purple yukata with faint cloud patterns and a maroon obi sash with similar silver accessories that, coincidentally, contrasted the gold ones Nezha had.

_Had they both gone to the same shop?_

"You're early," Nezha mused, slipping his hands into the sleeves of his yukata, a tinge of a smirk on his lips. He bent down, eyeing Baal's clothing before pressing a lingering kiss to the earth primal's forehead. "You look nice," he hummed when he retreated, a quiet chuckle following after as he stood back to his full height.

The earth primal grunted, ignoring the warmness in his cheeks as Hannibal reached out with a paw for a greeting from Nezha as well— which was granted by the dual elemental as he leaned down again, letting the purple feline nuzzle against his cheek affectionately. "I'm not early, you're just always late," Baal huffed, rolling his eyes at the duo. "One of the fastest primal beasts to exist and you still manage to be late..." He glanced away, tugging his own purple yukata closer in quiet embarrassment. "And you were the one who suggested we wear clothing for the occasion..." He muttered, cursing at himself for his sudden bashfulness. Sometimes Nezha's sincerity would catch him off guard, especially because he didn't present it that often.

Nezha merely shrugged, an expectant look in his dusty blue gaze and Baal sighed knowing the context of what the wind primal wanted. He took Nezha's cheeks into his hands, maneuvering the primal beast's head towards him to plant his very own kiss on Nezha's lips. "You look nice too," Baal sighed once more, scoffing as Nezha held his wrists in place, humming warmly with a giddy smile.

But Baal supposed it was a sincere compliment on his part as well. Nezha did look rather nice in traditional skyfarer clothing, although he would never say it out loud. No need to inflate the wind primal's ego more than he has already (unintentionally, of course).

He did wish Nezha would at least bother to take off his gold and cerulean headpieces though. But perhaps it wasn't truly Nezha without the ridiculous accessories, and perhaps Baal would be lying if he said they weren't charming either.

"Shall we go then?" Nezha offered after a short moment, releasing one of Baal's captive arms whilst the other intertwined its digits with Baal's own, clasping their hands together.

Baal rolled his eyes at the action, grumbling to himself when Hannibal leapt from his shoulder to the dual elemental's. _Traitor_ , he thought scornfully, but nonetheless tugged on Nezha's hand, wordlessly telling him to lead the way.

The dual elemental warrior grinned, taking Baal through the parted gates and into the festivities. The resonances were louder once they entered, thundering with a joyous melody that melded with the ensemble of instruments being played. It was a nice sound, especially to be able to hear it from up close. And perhaps Baal's expression mirrored his content, for Nezha glanced at him with a knowing smirk.

The booths were lined up along the sides of the pathways, with various entertainments and snacks being shown off to the festival goers. Baal commended the humans for being able to set something up in such a short amount of time, from the stalls to the lamps that spanned across the enclosed area, to the extravagant signs and the colourful decorations— it was certainly something Baal hadn't seen before in his centuries in the Skydom. Everything about the festival seemed to spark intriguement; the scents, the colours, the noise— the humans really did have extravagant ways of expressing themselves, but Baal supposed that was the reason why they were so engrossing in the first place.

Nezha, however, seemed to have taken an interest in something along the lights and booths after a few minutes inside the festival. He paused in his steps, which let Baal catch up to the taller primal and stand next to him with a raised brow, his crimson eyes following his partner's ocean blue ones. "What's wrong-"

But that was when Baal saw it. An entertainment booth it seemed, with various prizes and snacks lined up in rows and...

 _Guns_.

Baal could feel his curious gaze faltering into one of disdain, groaning when Nezha looked back at him with an overly enthusiastic expression. Forget what Baal had said about hoping that this date wouldn't involve any killing— avoiding any conflict was almost impossible with someone like Nezha.

He let himself be dragged over to the brightly lit stand, not at all trying to reel back his destructive companion because there was absolutely no way Baal could beat Nezha when it came to brute physical strength. His scowl only deepened when Hannibal glanced back at his owner, grinning and swishing his blade-like tail in amusement.

"Welcome!" The stall owner greeted, casually leaning against the side of the wooden stand. "Care to have a try? Just try to knock down one of the prizes with the rifle and it's all yours! One hundred rupies per shot."

Nezha hummed, digging into his yukata and placing the payment into the small porcelain dish next to the stall owner. "These aren't real rifles, are they?" The wind primal mused, picking up one of the guns and examining it in his hand, with Baal mentally praying his companion wouldn't break anything (or _anyone_ ) in the process.

"Of course not!" The man laughed like it was a farce (which it really wasn't). "There's wooden corks in the barrels. Nothing to pierce through anything, but certainly enough to hurt. So don't go accidentally shooting me!" He cackled, as if he wasn't talking to one of the deadliest primal beasts to exist in the skies and who could very well turn anything into a weapon with his flames.

Baal shot a warning glance at Nezha, who in response raised his hands in a silent promise that he wouldn't injure anything that physically moved.

"Which prize do you want, Baal?"

The earth primal tilted his head, examining the various goods and snacks before finally settling on a small pair of plush cat keychains that were blue and purple in colour. It piqued his interest the most, so with a nonchalant shrug, Baal motioned his head towards the two little accessories.

"Both?" Nezha blinked, adjusting his grip on the gun. "We'll have to spend some more to get the other. Unless..." he trailed off, his right hand glowing scarlet.

" _No_ ," Baal voiced sternly, beckoning Hannibal to his shoulder so the feline wouldn't bother the wind primal while he was shooting. "One prize per shot. _No_ explosions," he hissed.

Nezha sighed in compliance, the light in his fingertips dissipating. He outstretched his arm, locking his narrowed blue gaze with his target as his finger idly tapped against the trigger.

"One hand, huh? Must be quite confident, eh?" The stall owner quipped.

"You could say that," Nezha shrugged with a small grin, pulling the trigger and effortlessly knocking the small box with one of the feline keychains inside— earning a whistle of approval from the owner.

"Good shot!" The male laughed, leaning down to pick up the fallen prize. "Are you a veteran or something? Not many can hold a rifle steady with one hand and still be able to shoot accurately, y'know," he chuckled, tossing the prize over to Baal.

The earth primal would've been frozen in place had he not blinked out of it when their reward was flung towards him. He stumbled a bit in catching the small box, and once the item was safely in his hands did he spare a glance up at his primal companion— who had a similar dazed expression as Baal himself.

Oh this was bad.

Being reminded of his past in the War never bode well for Nezha.

But before Baal could say anything, Nezha managed to recover, mustering a casual smile at the stall keeper. "Something like that," he chuckled, setting the gun back down onto the red carpeted table. "We'll do another shot, if you don't mind," he mused, changing the subject and digging out another hundred rupies to place on the porcelain dish.

"I..." Baal started, and Nezha spared a curious glance at him. "... I want to try."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Sure Baal was trying to steer Nezha away from the artillery, but Baal wanted to try the game for himself too.

On the other hand, Nezha seemed to be baffled, before an amused fit of laughter escaped his lips. "Are you sure~?" He teased. "You were never one for these things, Baal."

The earth primal only huffed, shoving both their prize and Hannibal into Nezha's hands before picking up one of the rifles. But unlike his over the top primal companion, Baal needed to use both hands to steady the gun— his right hand firmly situated at the base of the rifle and nestling its end into his shoulder, while his left hand gripped at the hand guard.

Nezha hummed, seemingly impressed. "Have you done this before?" He mused, and Baal could hear the smirk on his lips.

He shrugged in response, lining his right eye with the target prize. "I've just seen the crew shoot a lot."

Baal squinted, aligning the gun one last time before pulling the trigger. What he didn't expect, however, was the small recoil of the rifle afterwards. And due to his unawareness, the bullet strayed from its original line of target when he fired.

Except, there was a sudden gust of wind that blew the cork right back on course and straight into the box that contained their other chosen prize.

Baal opened his mouth, stunned.

And that was when the sudden pitch in Nezha's resonance registered in his ears, and he turned to the other primal beast with a look of dumbfoundment. "Nezha did you-"

"You only said no explosions, not wind~" Nezha grinned, with Hannibal purring in agreement.

The stall owner, oblivious to the wind primal's shenanigans, laughed as he retrieved the other half of their prize, placing it into Baal's startled hands. "Well done! You two really are something, huh?"

"We sure are..." Baal mumbled out, a tinge of bitterness on his tongue as he glanced back at his companion— who was mindlessly scratching Hannibal's ears, grinning to himself.

The music primal let out a long sigh, thanking the older male before dragging the dual elemental away from the booth and off to the side. He looked up at Nezha, raising a brow like a mother would to their misbehaving child, and the latter merely shrugged at him in response. "Your aim was nearly perfect, as one would expect," Nezha started, digging out their first prize from his yukata and opening the small box. "You just hadn't anticipated the recoil of the gun, having not fired one before. But good efforts should still be rewarded, no?" He hummed, nudging the small purple keychain towards Hannibal, mumbling out a quiet " _it looks like you_ "— to which Hannibal responded to by pawing at the plush cat in curiosity.

Baal stared at Nezha, dumbfounded at his partner yet again before what seemed like a mixture of a scoff and a chuckle left his lips, completely oblivious to the tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Fine. But don't go using any more of your abilities so carelessly," he mumbled, opening the box that contained the small blue plush, humming at it in amusement before nonchalantly hooking the keychain to one of the metal accessories tied to his obi. He reached over to take the one in Nezha's hand, doing the same with the purple plush on the wind primal's sash.

Nezha blinked at him when Baal stepped away, and the latter did his best to push down his growing blush as he took the empty box from the dual elemental's other hand and threw their garbage away in the nearby bin. "Shall we go find something else to do then?" Baal asked, avoiding his companion's lingering gaze.

Though, that didn't prove to be effective unfortunately— for Nezha swooped down to capture Baal's lips in a quick kiss before smirking at him, intertwining their hands together. "I thought you weren't a fan of matching," Nezha hummed, chuckling at Baal's darkened cheeks as the earth primal dragged him back out into the bustling streets.

"This is subtle, so it's fine," Baal grumbled with a huff, still not making eye contact with his partner as they continued down the stalls. However, that did lead to the earth primal to pause in his steps after a while, his crimson gaze focused on a booth that had managed to catch his curiosity— and his dark haired companion almost immediately did the same, following Baal's line of vision to the stall in question. "Goldfish scooping?" Nezha read the sign out loud right as Baal let go of his hand, heading towards the stall and feeling the other primal beast trail after him.

Baal knelt in front of the small inflatable pool situated at the stall, eyes watching the carefree goldfish swim about in the translucent water. He felt a pair of arms carelessly sling around his shoulders, and glanced behind him as Nezha crouched down to inspect the game as well. The wind primal said nothing however, staring at the pool of water and then to Baal, and then back and forth again before digging into his yukata, outstretching one hundred rupies towards the woman behind the booth. "We'll have a go."

Baal opened his mouth to interject but the stall owner had already taken Nezha's money, and in turn handed him a bowl filled with water as well as a small paper scoop. "Try to scoop as many goldfish as you can without the paper tearing," she explained with a smile, "you get to keep the goldfish that you catch, so make sure to put them in the bowl."

Nezha handed Baal the equipment, looking at the earth primal expectantly. "Well?" He asked with a raised brow.

"I didn't agree to this," Baal muttered under his breath, but nonetheless took the items from Nezha.

"You say that and yet it piqued your curiosity enough to wander over here to inspect it further. Not to mention it's in my responsibilities as your partner to entertain you, even if it's in regards to a game meant for children."

Baal frowned. "What do you m-"

Before the earth primal could finish, Nezha was already gesturing towards the surrounding participants of the goldfish game, who were mainly eager human children accompanied by their all the more enthusiastic parents.

Baal blinked, pausing, before turning to Nezha with a scowl. "Shut up," were his only two words, and the wind primal snickered.

"Why did this catch your attention?" Nezha asked, rolling up and holding back Baal's yukata sleeves so they wouldn't get wet, and the earth primal smiled at the gesture. "Ah— perhaps you're thinking to catch some to cook when we get back home?"

Baal's smile immediately dropped.

He momentarily glanced at Nezha, scowling at the sparkle in the dual elemental's eyes. "I've never prepared a goldfish before though... but I presume it's prepared the same as you would a regular fish..." Nezha pondered out loud, gaze turning to the darkened skies in thought.

"We are _not_ going to cook it."

Nezha blinked. "Food for Hannibal then?"

Hannibal meowed a bit too enthusiastically at Nezha's words.

" _No_ ," Baal voiced sternly, sighing. "If I catch one _nothing_ is going to touch it— and that includes your knife and Hannibal's mouth."

Nezha pouted at him, which was followed by Hannibal's flattened ears and mewl of discontent.

Baal sighed again, turning his gaze back to the swimming orange and yellow fish in the pool. His eyes landed on a small black spotted goldfish, giving a quiet hum before he gently tried easing the aquatic creature into the paper net. But it seemed that even the slightest mistake could end with the scoop breaking, and Baal twisted his wrist a bit too forcefully, which then resulted in the fish to break right through the thin paper and escape back into the crowd of its brethren.

Baal lifted the plastic handle up to his eyes, examining the torn and wet paper. "It's easier to break than I thought," he mused.

"A shame," Nezha frowned. "Would you like to try again?" He asked, already reaching into his yukata without waiting for Baal's reply.

"No, it's fine," Baal reassured, returning the bowl and broken scoop to the stall owner. Baal would like to think that maybe it was better he didn't catch one in case Nezha or Hannibal didn't abide by his words— which they never really did, but there were still the occasional times where Baal found himself more than irritated by the things they did behind his instructions.

His crimson eyes located the spotted fish he was trying to catch amidst its other golden comrades, mentally apologizing to the goldfish for the cruel fate they might have suffered had he brought it home.

"Let's go. Unless..." he trailed off, his head turning to his dark haired companion— who was already standing back up to his proper height and stretching his back. "You want to give it a go?"

 _Please say no_ , Baal prayed.

Nezha blinked at him, almost as if he were surprised at the offer. But he shook his head, offering his hand to Baal to help him stand. "I doubt I'll be able to catch one with how reckless I am," he chuckled as he pulled Baal back up, and the latter frowned at the tinge of what seemed like sadness laced in his laughter.

But before Baal could say anything to his companion, Nezha was already leading them somewhere else with intertwined hands, and the earth primal pursed his lips in mild frustration and concern. "Your sweet tooth probably needs a refill about now, no?" Nezha changed the subject, and Baal raised a brow. "Wait here. I'll be right back." He tugged Baal off to the side of the bustling crowds, planting a quick kiss to the top of the music primal's head before he disappeared back into the lights and music, his tattered scarf trailing after him.

Baal frowned at his partner's behaviour, casually leaning against a nearby tree and tucking his hands into his yukata sleeves. It was strange that Nezha had left Baal alone. The wind primal would constantly be stuck to Baal's side like the stubborn pest he was, so it was odd for him to drift like that all of a sudden. Well, it wasn't like they were totally separated— Hannibal was sure to warn Nezha if anything happened to the music primal, and the dual elemental had no problem fending for himself.

Baal let out a long sigh, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the grass beneath his feet.

Nezha was always strange. At one point he would be brimming with affection and be the primal beast who had absolutely no concept of personal space. But during the next, he would almost be a completely different person with the distant look in his blue eyes and the frown on his lips that portrayed his wandering thoughts. From an onlooker's perspective, it would seem like Nezha's being the same as usual with his calm and composed nature. But noticing the subtle changes in the wind primal's moods was something that Baal had picked up along the way of being Nezha's partner. And from experience alone, Baal knew that if their dates didn't include fighting or bloodshed, then more often than not they were usually—

"Baal."

—filled with Nezha reminiscing his past self.

Baal looked up at the mention of his name, making eye contact with the very wind primal he was thinking of.

Sometimes, Baal thought, sometimes he actually preferred the dance of blood and fire more than Nezha's closeted battle against his own past self. Seeing Nezha be so confident and cocky in everything else in his life other than his history in the War was something that pained Baal— it hurt to see Nezha punch himself over and over again for something that was out of his control. And sometimes, seeing Nezha fight monsters and wash away the approaching dangers with his waves of flames was much better than hearing his sad sounding melody.

Nezha tilted his head at Baal's distant gaze. "Is something wrong?"

Baal shook his head, reaching up to brush back a stray strand of ebony hair that had fallen out of place on Nezha's physique. His fingertips momentarily brushed along Nezha's cheek, lingering there for a moment longer before Baal dropped his hand back to his side. "What did you bring back?" he asked, crimson eyes blinking in curiosity at the cup in the wind primal's hand.

"I noticed the stall while you were focused on the goldfish," Nezha explained, lowering the cup a bit so Baal could see the contents inside. "The skydwellers call it shaved ice. They combine ice particles with syrups of varying flavours— typically ones of fruit. I wasn't originally planning on getting any, but seeing as though they had a favourite flavour of yours, I was inclined to do so."

Baal stared at the mound of ice inside of the plastic cup, blinking at the coral pink colour. "... Grapefruit?"

Nezha only smiled at him, taking the plastic spoon and scooping a mound of the dessert onto it, inching it towards Baal with an even wider grin. Baal narrowed his eyes at the taller male, muttering a quiet " _I'm not a child_ " under his breath but still reluctantly opened his mouth, having a taste of the cold dessert. His face almost immediately scrunched together at the acidic taste of grapefruit that plastered his tongue, but a gentle coating of something sweet mellowed out the sourness, and Baal hummed in content at the cool and pleasant flavour.

"Ah, my apologizes. I forgot to mention they also add something called condensed milk— which is milk that has been extracted of its water content and its sweetness enhanced. I thought it would be suitable to your pallet."

"It's good," Baal nodded, accepting Nezha's offer of another spoonful, and the earth primal noticed Hannibal flash him a devilish grin as he chewed on the ice.

He ignored his sneering pet as he took the cup from Nezha's hands, tilting his head as he prodded at the ice with the spoon. "Aren't you trying any?" He asked, eating another bite. Nezha was just as curious as Baal was about the fascinations of skyfarer lifestyle, after all. And Baal thought that something like this would surely pique his companion's interest.

Nezha hummed, blue eyes trained on Baal's figure before one of his hands came to cup around the earth primal's chin, leaning down to capture his lips in a kiss. Baal stuttered out a surprised yelp at the action, and Nezha took the opportunity to slip his tongue between Baal's parted lips, mingling with Baal's own before he retreated not a few moments later— an all the more pleased look in his mischievous ocean hues. "Sour, but not bad," he mused, licking his lips with a satisfied smirk.

Baal gawked at his companion, still recovering from Nezha's sudden assault with a dark pink lining his cheeks. "You..." he trailed off, his brain not at all cooperating with his mouth and he let out a hiss in frustration. Stupid Nezha, stupid Nezha and his even more stupid antics.

So instead, Baal shoved a spoonful of shaved ice into his partner's dirt eating grin, scowling even more when Hannibal let out a soft purr in delight at his owner's dilemma. "Bastard," was what Baal finally managed to say after he composed himself, "we're in public," he hissed.

"So you're saying I'm allowed to if we're in private?" Nezha purred with a grin— which faltered when his brows furrowed in discomfort as the sour dessert hit his taste buds, and Baal snickered in triumph (also ignoring Nezha's question, because he knew that regardless of what answer he gave, Nezha would find a way to tease him for it).

"Cold," Nezha muttered, licking his lips again after he swallowed. "But again, not bad. A shame I'll have to travel to Auguste to gather the ice though, as I cannot produce ice particles. Perhaps I can ask Macula Marius to make some, or maybe Long Ji..."

Baal blinked at Nezha, confused. "You're going to make this?"

"Well of course. If you like it, it's in my duty to recreate it so you may enjoy it at any time, no?" Nezha asked with a raised brow, as if it were obvious.

Baal opened his mouth, stunned. "You don't have to do that," he sighed out, reaching up to cup Nezha's cheek, letting out a quiet chuckle when the latter almost immediately leaned into his palm. "Even though I like this, you make me plenty of desserts already. You don't have to go through the trouble of going to another island to make me something." He leaned up, planting a soft kiss against Nezha's lips. "I appreciate it though. But if I see you with a block of ice anytime soon, I _will_ kill you," he huffed, a tinge of playfulness in his voice that made Nezha grin.

"You say that as if you _can_ kill something, much less me," Nezha mused, flashing a smirk at Baal. "I still await the day you'll be able to at least chip a piece of my armour, dear Baal~" He cooed all too teasingly, winking as Baal glared at him. "Once you're done with your little treat, there's another thing I want to show you."

Baal cocked a brow at his companion, curious gaze staring at Nezha's nonchalant grin before huffing. Nezha was never one to spoil secrets, but Baal supposed he didn't mind it, seeing as how most of Nezha's surprises were enjoyable— emphasis on _most_.

He ate the rest of the dessert as fast but leisurely as he could, watching in half fear-half distress as Nezha passed the time by throwing Hannibal into the air and catching him. The feline surely seemed to be enjoying it with his purrs and licks to Nezha's face when he was back in his arms, but Baal wasn't all for watching his two mischievous companions play around.

He threw the empty cup and spoon into the nearby garbage before taking Hannibal from Nezha's arms, frowning at the wind primal's knowing smirk. "You two," Baal sighed, "are the absolute worst," he grumbled, ignoring Hannibal as he pawed towards Nezha's direction, whimpering to be back in the dual elemental's hold.

Nezha shrugged, taking one of Baal's hands into his own to intertwine their hands yet again— which also allowed Baal's purple feline to slip from his grasp and scamper back up to Nezha's shoulder, purring in delight.

Scheming bastards, Baal thought, but a quiet huff was the only thing that left his lips.

He beckoned with his head for Nezha to lead the way, and the latter escorted him back into the lights and stalls. But what surprised Baal was that Nezha was walking past every booth and entertainment along the gravel pathway, leading him away from the commotion of the festivities until they reached their destination at a river bank. And the earth primal could only widen his eyes and stare in awe at the sight before him.

Bright glowing lanterns littered the quiet waves, their golden reflections shining against the water's surface as they slowly made their way down the stream in pockets of glittering light. Baal hadn't seen something like this before, and he automatically crouched down near the water's edge to have a closer look at the display, crimson eyes mirroring the rich colour of the paper lanterns as he watched them drift along.

He hadn't even noticed that Nezha had left his side despite their hands having been previously intertwined, and he almost jumped when the dual elemental reappeared next to him. But what surprised him even more was the lantern that Nezha brought back, and one that was quickly placed into Baal's dumbfounded hands.

"I read that this was a tradition for the skyfarers," Nezha began to explain, chuckling as he watched Baal examine the paper structure, hands nervously holding onto the porcelain dish the lantern was situated on. "The lanterns are placed along the river in order to guide the spirits of the deceased to the afterlife, or so I've heard. I thought you would like the sight of it, and perhaps would want to participate in it, which is why I inquired about coming to this festival in the first place."

Baal blinked at Nezha, then back to the lantern, and then back at Nezha. He was... a bit speechless, to be frank. The fact that this was what brought Nezha to propose a date between the two of them, that Nezha thought of him and his enjoyment on the date and planned it out accordingly... He felt warmth begin to spread along his cheeks, and he hoped that Nezha wouldn't be able to see his expression due to the darkness. "I do like it," he was finally able to say after another moment, avoiding the wind primal's gaze and focusing his own eyes on the lantern in his hands. "And... thank you, for thinking about me."

There was a small pause before Baal felt large calloused hands cup his cheeks, and he let out a quiet yelp when Nezha pressed a firm kiss to the top of his head. "You're blushing~" Nezha teased, accentuating his point by pinching at the earth primal's warm cheeks— making the latter frown.

"Shut up," Baal hissed, pushing Nezha away with a hand and rolling his eyes when the dual elemental snickered in response. But then a sudden realization came to him, and Baal looked at the lantern before looking back at Nezha again, brows creasing. "... These aren't expensive, are they?"

Nezha blinked at him. "No? Around fifteen hundred rupies per person."

Baal's frown deepened. "Then where's yours-"

 _Oh_.

With a long and heavy sigh, Baal abruptly stood up. His narrowed eyes searched their darkened surroundings, spotting the brightly lit booth not too far from their spot by the river bank and he walked up to the stall, Nezha's questions and protests falling upon deaf ears. He wordlessly paid for another lantern, taking it back to Nezha and shoving it into his hands a bit too aggressively. "You're going to do this too," Baal voiced sternly, watching the wind primal's gaze turn from surprised to hesitant.

"Baal-"

"You're stupid," Baal interjected. "Why do you always insist on letting your past actions influence you in the present? Just because you've killed armies and primals alike in the past doesn't mean you shouldn't be allowed to do _this_ —" Baal motioned towards the lanterns floating along the river— "I have blood on my hands too, Nezha. We all do. But we're not stopping ourselves from things such as these. Just because you've killed more shouldn't make you an exception to that either." He gave another long sigh. "I'm sure they don't mind you leading them to the afterlife. You've tried to make up for your actions already with all of the villages you've saved from monsters and fires— you don't do things purely for your own satisfaction anymore. It proves that you've changed since then, no?" He asked, giving a small, encouraging smile.

Nezha was silent, and Baal waited patiently for his companion's response, idly reaching over to pet Hannibal in the meantime. But the earth primal finally got his answer in the form of Nezha cautiously leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek, letting out what seemed to be a mix between a huff and a chuckle. "I suppose," was all he murmured to Baal, standing back to his full height with a bittersweet smile.

Baal only scoffed at Nezha before tugging on his yukata sleeve, dragging him back to the river and crouching down at the water's edge. He wordlessly handed Nezha his lantern, and the latter nonchalantly reached into the paper structure to clamp his hand around the wick of the candle inside. And when he retreated, a small flame flickered atop the wax cylinder, making Baal's lantern illuminate a golden hue. The dual elemental did the same to his own lantern, and when he was done, they both released their glowing lights into the river— watching as their pair of lanterns melded with the rest of the blooming crowd and made their journey downstream.

"I apologize for dampening the mood of our date," Nezha voiced after watching the traveling candles for a moment longer, gaze turning to Baal.

"You didn't dampen it," Baal sighed, reaching up to ruffle Nezha's sleeked back strands of hair, chuckling when the wind primal grunted in protest. "You're just you, as idiotic as you are. But you're doing your best to improve, and that's enough for me," he mumbled the last part a bit quieter, leaning in to peck Nezha on the lips in hopes he would ignore it.

But of course he didn't, because he's Nezha.

A wide grin bloomed upon the other primal's lips, but it was quick in softening as he nuzzled his nose against Baal's. "I'm grateful, then. Thank you, Baal."

Baal grumbled at the words of gratitude, scowling even more when Hannibal's tail teasingly flicked against his face. He opened his mouth, about to hiss out an embarrassed retort when he paused as the distant crackling of lead reached his ears. He looked up, gaze searching the darkened midnight skies until he spotted the sparkles of colour from the fireworks not far from where they crouched by the river's edge.

"So they've started already," Nezha hummed, and Baal could hear the frown upon his lips. "I hadn't realized it was time, my apologies. Shall we go find a better spot to enjoy them?"

An idea had suddenly sprung into Baal's thoughts at the sight of the fireworks, and he slowly stood back up to his height, nodding his head as Nezha did the same. "You go find a spot," he voiced, "I want to go get something first."

Nezha raised a brow at him, an objection surely on the tip of his tongue but he discarded it with a sigh, stuffing his hands into the sleeves of his yukata. "If you insist. Send a call if you need assistance." The wind primal pressed a kiss right below Baal's visible eye before waltzing away in the direction of the sparkling show, with Hannibal giving his own farewell in the form of a loud meow.

Baal scoffed at the pair, mustering down the warmness in his cheeks as he turned to go back into the glowing pathway of the festivities. The booth shouldn't be that difficult to find, he thought, gaze wandering around the various stalls until he finally settled upon the one he was searching for.

A fireworks booth.

"A pack of sparklers, please," Baal told the woman at the stand, handing her the requested amount of rupies and receiving his desired item in return.

Perhaps this was odd of him to go out of his way to attempt to surprise Nezha, and it wasn't really much anyways. But a small part of him wanted to see that giddy expression in Nezha's eyes whenever he discovered another intriguing thing about skyfarer inventions, and maybe some simple sparklers would do the trick in lightening his partner's mood again. But of course, Baal would never say it out loud. He'd die from embarrassment if he were to ever say that the joy in his companion's gaze always made his chest warm in fondness.

Baal cursed to himself, discarding his thoughts as he wormed his way out of the crowds of people. Though, a tug at the end of his yukata made him come to a halt in his steps, and he looked down to find his purple feline clawing at his article of clothing with large, curious eyes.

"Don't ruin it," Baal scolded Hannibal, who only meowed in response but obliged and retracted his claws, swishing his tail back and forth.

The earth primal blinked at his pet before sighing. "Does he really think I'd get lost finding him so much that he sends you out to lead me there?"

Hannibal replied in a purr and Baal sighed again. "It's not like I can't hear his resonance even with the crowd, that fool," he scoffed, oblivious to the small smile upon his lips. "Fine, go on then."

Hannibal grinned at him, padding over to affectionately circle around his feet before leading the way out of the bustling noise and music. There was a large cluster of festival goers who had already taken their respective places among the grassy hills to look at the sparkling display in the skies, but Hannibal simply slipped past all of them in further pursuit of where Nezha sat. Which, as Baal soon came to find out, was a small set of concrete staircases that was secluded enough where mostly no passerby would notice their presences, but also not private enough that they couldn't still hear the chiming tunes of the festival's instruments and entertainments.

Baal only raised a brow at Nezha, who responded with a quiet shrug as Hannibal crawled back onto his lap, meowing and pawing at his hands. "Yes, yes. Good work," Nezha praised, laughing as he rewarded the violet feline with generous pets to his head and back— making Hannibal purr in satisfaction. The wind primal's attention momentarily drew away from the cat to its owner, patting the empty spot next to him with a small smile and an inquisitive look in his eyes. "What did you bring back?"

Baal carefully took his seat next to Nezha, beginning to open the packet of sparklers. "Do you know what these are?" He asked, waving one of the paper wands in his hand.

Nezha shook his head.

"Thought so," Baal sighed. "They're called sparklers, and they're similar to fireworks but... more up close?" He wasn't very good at explaining things, and in that moment it definitely showed. Nezha was far better at it, he thought with a grumble. "It's better if I just show it," he determined, taking Nezha's wrist into his hand. "Fire, please."

Nezha blinked, and a considerably hefty flame burst from his palm that made Baal hiss and maneuver his companion's hand away from his face— Hannibal following suit as he hurriedly scampered up onto Nezha's head for safer ground. "Smaller, idiot!" Baal gritted out, and Nezha muttered a small " _whoops_ " before closing his palm and diminishing the flare, and Baal heaved a sigh of relief that somehow neither of their clothes managed to burn in the process of Nezha's stunt.

Thankfully though, Nezha listened to Baal's words, for he instead snapped his fingers to alight a much more smaller blaze upon his fingertip. Baal hummed in quiet appreciation, taking the long roll of paper and putting it against the flame. Not a moment later did sparks begin to slowly fly out from its end, and Baal quickly directed the sparkler away from the two of them— holding it by its other end and pointing it towards the ground to be quietly admired.

"They don't last very long," Baal explained, stealing a glance at Nezha and seeing the intrigue and awe begin to form in his bright blue gaze, making him unconsciously smile. "There's a small molten ball in the center, which will grow until it eventually drops— _don't touch it!_ " Baal snapped, slapping Nezha's wrist right as the wind primal's hand engulfed the end of the sparkler— effectively putting it out.

Baal wanted to curse at Nezha, or punch him, or maybe both— but all he did instead was grab Nezha's hand to assess the injuries. No burns, as expected of the half fire primal beast, but Baal still sighed in irritation, mindlessly rubbing his thumb along the dual elemental's various callouses. "Don't do that," he scowled.

"I was curious," Nezha simply responded, as if it were the normal thing to do.

Baal's scowl only deepened, but he brushed it aside as he set the used sparkler aside for a new one. "You take this one," Baal instructed after Nezha lit the new sparkler. "Don't hold it so close to the ignited part and point it away from you. Don't let your yukata catch on fire either," he grumbled, as if he was lecturing a child.

Which in a way was true. Nezha was almost like a child in a thousand year old body.

When Nezha finally got the hang of the sparkler, Baal let out a relieved sigh, letting his head ungracefully fall against Nezha's shoulder. "Honestly..." Baal muttered, staring at the glowing sparks as they flew out from its molten core, before glancing up to look at Nezha's expression.

He was smiling— smiling that soft and delicate grin of his that he was afraid to show due to the fear that he didn't deserve such happiness. His ocean blue eyes were trained on the flickering glitters of light, watching in silent awe as the vibrant core slowly grew in size. And Baal wondered how such a meager thing like sparklers could receive such a reaction like that from Nezha but he supposed it was understandable. Nezha never got to experience the simplest things in life for centuries, after all. It was always fighting and bloodshed, torrents of gales and smoldering blazes— his entire existence had revolved around the sole purpose to wield his scarlet spear, and never did he have the chance to learn about the minuscule things in life that made it wonderful.

Baal was sure Nezha never thought about life in that regard, but he hoped that now, maybe, Nezha did have a renewed desire to see what else the skies had to offer him.

He blinked away his thoughts when the light from the sparkler disappeared, his crimson eyes following his companion's to the fallen molten core that sat upon one of the concrete staircases, with Hannibal scampering down from Nezha's head to paw at it in curiosity. Humming, Baal took the depleted rod from Nezha's hand. "Want another one?" He asked, already handing the wind primal a new sparkler without waiting for a reply.

Nezha wordlessly took it, but his gaze still lingered on Baal's figure even as he lit the end of the firework. "Tired?"

Baal paused, and almost as if on cue did a small yawn slip past his lips. "A little," he shrugged, "it's gotten late, after all."

Nezha frowned, "my apologies. I should've thought about coming earlier."

The dual elemental handed the ignited sparkler for Hannibal to hold in his mouth, and before Baal could say anything about what he was making his cat do, Nezha was already lifting him up into his arms and gently placing the earth primal down onto his lap— letting his head rest against Nezha's partially exposed chest. Baal opened his mouth to object once more, partially out of embarrassment that someone could come down the stairs and see them, but Nezha was already raising his body temperature and Baal automatically melted into the warmth.

"You were this cold as well?" Nezha asked with furrowed brows, sighing as he pulled off his tattered scarf. "You should've said so, Baal," he lightly scolded, securely wrapping the cloth around Baal's neck. The music primal hummed at the scent of ash in the blue article, paired along with the faintest smell of copper that Baal was sure was actually the remnants of blood. It was a strange scent, but it was the one that belonged to Nezha, so Baal found comfort in it, as odd as that was.

By the time that Baal was finally settled into Nezha's lap, the sparkler had already extinguished, and Nezha took the empty paper tube from Hannibal's mouth to place it with the others before taking a new one and lighting it.

There was a long silence as Nezha continued to play with the sparklers, Hannibal having scurried back to the wind primal's shoulder while Baal alternated between watching the small light in front of them to the large bursts of colour in the skies. He had almost forgotten about the fireworks in the first place, far too occupied with Nezha's giddiness upon seeing the sparklers. And it seemed like Nezha was the same, for his eyes never left the delicate glitters in his hand.

Baal felt his eyes beginning to droop, his fatigue finally catching up to him. But Nezha's quiet voice broke him out of his tired trance, right as he depleted another firework. "Did you enjoy the date?" He asked, and Baal could hear the tinge of worry in his voice.

Baal gave a small chuckle at his companion's concern, nestling his head further into Nezha's chest. "I did," he hummed, watching Nezha ignite another sparkler. "I had fun."

He couldn't see it, but Baal was sure Nezha was smiling— which he confirmed when Nezha pressed a kiss to the top of his head and felt his upturned lips. "I'm glad then," he murmured, snaking his free arm around Baal's torso and intertwining his hand with one of Baal's.

There was another short pause, and Baal could tell Nezha wanted to say something but he was instead surprised when Nezha began _singing_.

The song was unfamiliar to Baal's ears, yet when it came from Nezha's voice, it almost felt nostalgic— like an old music box that hadn't been played in centuries, worn down and battered but still able to produce a delicate melody to the one who turned its crank. And perhaps that was what Nezha was— a worn music box, weary and creaking with rusted abandonment, wishing to play its song but incapable of doing so because of the mistreatment it had gone through.

And Baal didn't realize when exactly he decided to pick up that tattered and old music box. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps he was drawn to it. But he hoped that maybe now he had done the best he could to fix it, so that it could play its tune once more. And although an audience wouldn't be waiting to hear its melody, Baal would wait for as long as it took.

Because even though Baal couldn't hear the music box's song, he knew it was something irreplaceable from the moment he had it in his hands.

He let himself be lulled to sleep by Nezha's song, closing his eyes and drifting near the edge of slumber before Nezha suddenly paused in his singing. And before Baal could open his eyes to voice his concerns towards his companion, he felt a pair of lips press against his own, followed by the quiet hush of three words being uttered to him when Nezha retreated.

Baal unconsciously smiled at Nezha's words, pressing his own kiss against Nezha's collar in similar sentiment, before squeezing their intertwined hands.

"I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> i hope i was successfully able to k word chai with this fic heheh but aside from that, happy birthday again chai !! thank you for being my pal, i appreciate you very much, and i hope this unexpectedly long fic reflects that ouo" how did i manage 8k words i don't even know myself- //coughs blood
> 
> anywho, thank you all for reading~!
> 
> twitter: @flxmelxnce


End file.
